OTHELLO — One of Shakespeare’s most popular and widely performed plays is on a local three-day run courtesy of Othello High School’s Drama Club. Tom Christensen directs the play.
Originally written in about 1595, the play is set in ancient Athens. If you’re still up on your Greek history, the plot centers on the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. Subplots in the comedy follow disputes between four lovers and another group of actors rehearsing a play to perform at the wedding.
Director Tom Christensen said it has been over a decade since the OHS Drama Club presented a Shakespeare play. He said it was this year’s club students who motivated him to tackle the challenging subject matter this year. “The dedication that it takes to do this is something I’ve seen in older students over the last couple of years,” he said.
Old photographs of past performances also inspired him to consider a Shakespeare play this year.
The language of the script was challenging during early rehearsal. The play is written in English, but not the styling we know today. “Our first couple of weeks looked more like English Lit. class rather than drama club. It was a lot of hard work, he said.”
This year’s club was committed to a high-quality production, and it shows. Everything from the costumes to the set design and audio is outstanding. A generous grant from Foundry10 allowed the club to purchase new microphones. They make a tremendous difference in the acoustically challenged MMS auditorium.
Of course, the real stars are the students.
Jayden Rowley, a junior, plays Nick Bottom. “He’s not very smart, but he thinks he’s the smartest man in the room,” said Rowley. “It makes a pretty funny character.” Bottom plays the role of Pyramus in the subplot of the play within a play. “He thinks he can play every role, but he’s really not that good at acting.”
Ashlynn Bates plays Puck, a central character who causes mischief throughout parts of the play. “He likes to pull pranks,” Bates said. One of Puck’s funnier pranks is to replace Nick Bottom’s head with that of an ass (donkey). She added that he’s not mean and can be kind. Bates said the role allowed her to stretch her skills. “I got to really play around with my body movements, to be more animal-like. I like that I got to be louder and playful as Puck,” she said.
Bates credited Christensen for letting the cast explore their characters. “He really lets us have freedom over how we portray our characters. Sometimes he may give suggestions like try this or that.”
You have two more opportunities to catch the show at the MMS Auditorium! Friday and Saturday nights at 7. Tickets are $10 or $8 for seniors and students with ASB.
